Rearview Mirror
by barney-mugger
Summary: AU, Spuffy, set in Season 3. Spike retrieves more than his soul whilst in Africa, but what will happen if Buffy and the others find out that Spike has travelled back in time to be with Buffy as not a vampire with a soul, but something totally new. RR!
1. Chapter 1

**Rearview Mirror**

(I don't Buffy or any associated stuff, Joss Wheedon and ME do, don't sue etc. Reviews make my day  The story may seem weird at first, but bear with me. It will become clearer in later chapters. )

Spike watched as a car pulled up outside the school, and Buffy got out after kissing her mother on the cheek. He saw Willow and Xander run up to her and hug her happily, tell her how glad they were that she was home again.

He realised what time of their high school years he had landed in- the beginning of their last year; seniors.

Spike looked on incredulously as he recognized Harmony, choosing to ignore all the girls looking back at him- the mysterious, gorgeous new comer with the black leather trench.

He laughed as he spotted Giles dashing out to meet Buffy, and realized that the girl with him must be the infamous Cordelia. The other boy there must be Oz.

Spike strode up next to them, and felt a pang of loss at the complete lack of recognition crossing their faces.

As he was passing their mini Scooby meeting, a girl running past sent Willow flying. Without even thinking about it, Spike hurried back a few paces and hauled Willow to her feet.

"Alright, Red?" he asked her, almost in a concerned tone.

"Fine, thank you."

"No problem. I guess I'll see you around."

"Right." Willow answered, watching his back as he retreated.

"He seems to be of favourable disposition," Giles commented.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Why couldn't you just say 'he seems nice'?"

Spike did a mental victory dance. He seemed to have made a good impression on Buffy and her friends; he was bound to be asked to join the Scoobies sooner or later!

Heading to the admin office, Spike got a welcome package and timetable, and saw that he had Bio first period.

As he was wandering around trying to find the right room, he bumped into Willow.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologized, collecting his things from where they had fallen on the floor.

"Oh, it was my fault!" Willow insisted, "Hey, aren't you the guy who helped me earlier?"

"Yep. I'm Spike…ah, just Spike."

"I'm Willow Rosenberg," she told him, and Spike repressed the urge to say 'I know'.

"Nice to meet you, Willow."

"Likewise, Spike. So what year are you? You're new, right?"

"That I am…I'm a senior like you."

Willow eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know I'm a senior?"

"Um…I heard you talking earlier to Buf- to your blonde friend."

This just aroused Willow's suspicions even more, but she decided to let it drop for the time being. "Cool. I bet we have some classes together then, what have you got first period?"

"Ah…" Spike checked his list, "Biology."

"Me too! I'll show you the way. You can sit with me and my friends Buffy and Xander if you like." Willow kindly offered.

"That would be great. Thanks!" Spike was impressed with himself. He was really getting this 'polite and grateful human' thing down!

When Willow 'introduced' him to Buffy, Spike felt his heart swell as she smiled and shook his hand. He was less emotional when Xander greeted him, but he was Buffy's friend, and if being civil to him gave him better chances with her, then he would do it.

After biology was English, then History. Spike was enraged at their versions of some of the stories. He was very tempted to leap out of his chair and declare the truth, but that would just make him look completely insane.

He was also missing all the required textbooks, so when the bell rang for lunch he decided to take a quick field trip to the library to stock up. Maybe he would even see Giles.

"Hey, Spike, you wanna come eat lunch with us?" Buffy asked.

"I'd love to, but I have to go to the library to pick up some books for class." Spike was overjoyed. Buffy seemed to be taking a liking to him!

"OK, maybe tomorrow then. See you later!" the trio waved to him as they veered off into the cafeteria.

Spike walked down to the library, and pushed open the wide doors. Inside, Giles was busy pacing the aisles and muttering under his breath. "Um, let me see, I know I left it here somewhere…"

"Mr Giles?"

Giles let out an exclamation of surprise, almost banging his head off the bookshelves.

"Yes?"

"Sorry about that. I'm a transfer student, and I need some books."

"Of course, of course…oh, your accent! You're English?"

Spike grinned at Giles' excitement. "Born and bred."

"Oh, my. Wonderful. Let me find your texts." Giles wandered off, still muttering happily under his breath.

Spike grinned again. Who would have thought that one day the Watcher would be glad to see him?

Giles returned a minute later laden with books, which he pressed into Spike's arms.

"Have we met before?" Giles asked, a slight frown re-creasing his perpetually wrinkled brow.

Spike thought quickly. Wouldn't do if good old Rupert had found him in some demon book. "Uh, yeah, this morning, remember? Your friend Willow fell and I helped her up."

"Oh yes, of course. Anyway, enjoy your textbooks."

Spike shook his head at this typical Giles statement. "Sure. I will."

A few days later, Spike had gotten settled into routine at Sunnydale High. He now sat with Buffy, Willow, Oz and Xander at lunch, and in most classes too. _Wow, _he thought to himself during a particularly dull History class, _I'm really turning into one of the Scoobies now. _

Spike had also made some other friends- including Cordelia, but unfortunately that came at the price of having Harmony salivate all over him whenever he was with Cordelia (though Cordelia often sat with the Scoobies, seeing as she and Xander were a couple). _She hasn't changed much, _Spike thought, but then rubbed his back remembering the pain when she'd gotten a bolt from a crossbow through his back. _Hmm…on second thoughts-Note to self: do not aggravate Harmony. _

But still, Buffy and her gang hadn't invited him to be initiated into their Scooby thing. Maybe he'd have to do it by himself. Just before lunch was due to start, Buffy leant over to Spike and whispered to him "Hey, we all gotta go to this…thing...at lunch, really sorry, do you know anyone else to hang with?"

"Yeah, I know a few people, but I have some stuff I need to catch up on as well. Don't worry about it."

Buffy looked relieved he hadn't pressed about the 'thing'. "OK, great."

As the bell rang Spike hurried off to the library to make sure he got there before them. Life in Sunnydale would probably get pretty dull without demons to hunt, and if they weren't going to ask him in straight away, he would have to force his way in.

Nestling himself in between some high up shelves, Spike sat and waited for the gang to arrive. As he watched they all busted through the doors, talking.

"-Glad that Spike didn't ask more questions," Buffy was saying to Willow as they came in.

"Yeah. But there is something a bit, well, off about him, don't you think?" Willow replied.

Spike stiffened. This could be interesting.

"I guess…"

"He seems normal enough to me," Xander butted in. Spike suppressed a smirk. The whelp was sticking up for him!

"Are you talking about that new English boy, Spike? He seems harmless enough." It was Giles who was commenting this time.

This time it was irritation Spike was suppressing. Harmless, Pfft!

"I dunno. I think he knows a lot more than he's letting on." Willow said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, the reason why I asked you all here was because a train rolled into Sunnydale station with all the occupants murdered- the apparent cause of death for all of them centred around two puncture marks on their throats."

Buffy grimaced. "Vampires."

"But you can kill them!" Cordelia piped in.

Everyone rolled his or her eyes. "What?!" she asked defensively.

"Alright, everyone meet here this evening for research. These vampires left some strange things lying around the cabins- like dolls with their eyes scratched out. Maybe we can identify them from that."

"Yay! A research party!"

"Will, you need a life in the worst possible way." Xander told her.

Spike sucked in a breath. Mutilated dolls? That sounded like someone he knew very well indeed…

"Hey Giles, I'll patrol beforehand, kay, and meet you guys here after." Buffy said.

"Yes, yes, of course. But be careful Buffy, if you do run into these vampires, god knows how many there are and they're obviously dangerous. Take care," Giles told her, an immense amount of concern shining in his eyes.

Buffy noted this and said, "Don't worry, Giles. You know I can take care of myself."

And before Spike knew it, the entire Scooby gang had disappeared. _Guess I'll have to show myself at a later date then. _He hauled himself out of his spot and crept out the library door, to make sure Giles didn't see him.

Later that night Spike collected a few stakes from his crypt and walked into the graveyard. "Might as well go get some vamps, make myself useful."

He wandered out a bit deeper into the cemetery and soon found himself on his back with a stake pointed directly at his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

(Hey guys. Another chapter ) I'm really sorry, I totally forgot that I deleted part of my disclaimer thingy. The Scoobies have NEVER MET SPIKE BEFORE. They know of him, as in Angel, Spike, Darla and Drusilla, but in Season 2 the only villain was Angelus. And in response to one reviewers question, he may look older than the rest of the Sunnydale 99 class but they just assume he belongs there. Hope that clears stuff up. Enjoy!)

"Spike?" Buffy exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, luv, now would you please remove that stake from my chest?"

Buffy retracted her arm and helped him to his feet. "What on earth are you doing here?" she asked him, then her eyes wandered to the stake clutched loosely in his hand. "Is that a-"?

"Buffy, look out!" Spike screamed, and pushed her out of the way to protect her and to get to the vampire standing behind her. Spike had the weak vampire beat and on the ground in a matter of seconds, and plunged the stake through it's heart. It exploded into a cloud of dust, which Spike brushed off his leather coat in a very calm manner.

"You alright pet?" he asked her.

Buffy looked at him with her eyes wide. "You-you know about vampires?" was all she managed to stammer.

"A fair bit. Not a scratch on you though, I bet, what with you being the Slayer and all…" Spike cursed himself the second the word left his mouth.

Buffy was immediately in defensive mode. "Who told you about that? How do you know?"

Spike swore mentally. You twit! "Ahhh…umm…people talk. Demons talk. They said the Slayer was in Sunnydale is all I heard, and since you're in a cemetery after dark armed with stakes I'd say you fit the bill." He prayed she would believe his plausible lie.

She, like Willow, was still suspicious, but let it pass. "OK. Well, it's kinda supposed to be a secret…but maybe you can help us."

That was how Spike found himself invited to a Scooby meeting in the library, following Buffy along a back path towards the school.

The grin slid off his face as soon as he entered the building, though. Giles, Cordelia, Xander and Willow were all sitting around a large circular table with grim expressions on their faces, a large stack of books in front of each of them. (Except for Xander, who was holding a large box of jelly doughnuts).

Spike was a few metres behind Buffy, so the others didn't realise he was there until he opened the library doors near the beginning of Giles' explanation.

"-very bad news. A vampire named Drusilla is-" Giles abruptly stopped when Spike entered the room.

"What's he doing here?" Willow asked, her eyebrows meeting in a sort of kindly frown.

"Uh, we met on patrol. I'll explain fully later. So you guys just found out who did it?"

"Yes, we only just found the passage as you came in. It seems very likely that a vampire named Drusilla was responsible for the killings-"

Giles was interrupted again as Buffy asked, apprehensively, "As in, Angel, Darla, Spike and Drusilla?"

Giles sighed. "It would seem so."

Buffy looked terrified. Spike remembered that she must have killed Angelus recently, and his heart went out to her. Not to Peaches, of course, but to the Slayer he considered his girl.

Giles continued, saying "It would seem that Drusilla is completely insane, hence the dolls. She is almost definitely accompanied by her lover Spike, who is even more dangerous than she is. His real name is William (the Bloody) but he gained his nickname by…driving railroad spikes into his captives. He has killed…" Giles' shuddered, "two slayers to date."

Everyone in the room but Spike let out shocked gasps. Spike was beginning to feel very nervous. He could see Red at the table, starting to put two and two together. After all, Spike isn't exactly a common name.

Buffy's brave demeanour was starting to return. "Where are they likely to be?"

But Giles didn't answer, he had been continuing to read his book, but it slipped from his fingers as a look of horror crossed his face.

"Giles? What is it?" Xander cried, rushing to the Watcher's side.

Giles pointed at Spike, and croaked, "You're William the Bloody?"

"Um…yes."

To say everyone look terrified would have been a bit of an understatement. Spike doubted they could have looked more alarmed if he'd whipped out a railroad spike and rammed it into Buffy.

Cordelia was predictably the first to recover. "So how come you can walk around in daylight?"

In response, Spike grabbed Buffy's hand, causing everyone to shriek and Giles to rise from his chair, advancing towards the vampire. But Spike simply placed Buffy's fingers over his wrist. "Can you feel that?" he asked her quietly.

Buffy nodded in surprise. "What? What is it?" asked Willow in panic.

"It's…it's a pulse."

"What? Unfeasible!" Giles stormed over and roughly grabbed Spike's arm.

"Oi! Careful with the merchandise Rupert!"

"Rupert?" Giles questioned, fear flitting across his features.

"Relax, your Scooby gang here told me." Spike lied.

Giles, more hesitantly this time, pulled Spike's arm and placed his fingers on his wrist.

"Impossible!" he breathed.

One by one, each of the gang walked up and felt for a pulse.

Incredibly flustered, Giles yanked off his glasses and began frantically polishing them. "Umm…another test. Xander, will you fetch the box of weapons from my office?"

Spike paled, but Buffy, surprisingly accepting of these new twists, patted him consolingly on the arm and whispered, "I think it's just holy water and crosses." Spike whitened another shade.

Xander returned with a box a second later, and Giles rummaged through it till he found a rough wooden cross.

Walking (more like tip-toeing) over, Giles pressed the cross against Spike's face, bracing for vamp face/fangs/death.

"Owwww! Get that bloody cross off me!" Spike shrieked, as the flesh on his face started to steam.

Giles hastily retracted the wood, but held it in front of him so Spike couldn't come closer.

Everyone was looking at him in shock again, and when he lifted a hand to his face Spike felt himself in vamp mode.

He hurriedly shifted back to human form, and said to Cordelia, "Hey, cheerleader, pass me your compact mirror."

Cordelia was petrified, but threw it at him from her place behind a bookshelf. Spike's good reflexes caught it a few centimetres off the ground, and he snapped it open.

"See? I can see myself."

Indeed he could. In the mirror reflection was the clear image of a bleach blonde, handsome man.

The Scoobies had apparently been shocked-out this evening. Giles barely said "Oh!" in a weary voice before shaking his head.

"Um," Willow ventured from under the table, "would you mind telling us exactly what you are?"


	3. Chapter 3

"I wouldn't mind at all. But will you all promise not to stake/holy water/cross me?"

Everyone nodded weakly.

"OK then." Spike grabbed a chair and sat on it backwards. "It all started when I met this girl- amazing girl- and she didn't love me. Well, I think she did, but for various reasons she didn't- well couldn't I guess-want to be with me. I hurt her, something which I don't think I could ever forgive myself for, so I-" Spike's story was interrupted by Willow putting up her hand. He fought back the urge to laugh and said, "Yes Red?"

"Are we talking about Drusilla here?"

"No. No. Me and Dru were over quite a while ago. This girl was- is, different, special. I was only a vampire at this point, but she was human."

Buffy winced. This story was obviously dredging up painful memories. His gaze softened as he watched her. "Do you want me to keep going, Buffy?" he asked tenderly.

She wiped away what he was sure was a tear and said in a clear voice, "Yes, keep going."

"If you say so. Where was I?"

"Amazing girl, you hurt her, you felt bad." Xander supplied.

Spike threw him a dirty look. "Yes. Thank you, Xander. So I went halfway across the world to see a man about this girl. He put me through all sorts of gruelling tests, it was horrific- I'm quite surprised still that it didn't kill me, but at the end he told me that he could give my back my soul, but something else too. He said he could make me human." Spike turned to see how Buffy was taking this. Strange, really, seeing as he was talking about her in the first place. She was absorbing this dry-eyed, so he felt it was safe to continue. "However this guy couldn't make me fully human, so I'm kind of half human, half vampire with a soul. I must feed on blood to survive and stakes through the heart will dust me, I'm affected by crosses and holy water but I have a reflection, a pulse and no aversion to sunlight." Spike decided not to mention the time travelling thing. They were obviously freaked enough as it was, and he could ruin any chance he ever had with Buffy by revealing that a) she was the girl he was talking about and b) she despised him in the future.

"Wow." Buffy said, "Must have been some girl."

Spike smiled at her. "Oh, she is."

The Scoobies seemed to be getting over their fear of him, and Willow asked him another question. "Spike, if you went through all this trouble, where is this girl now?"

Spike looked sombre for a second. "Well, she doesn't actually know about all this yet."

Buffy looked indignant. "You did all this outrageous stuff for her and she doesn't even know?!"

Spike grinned at her crossness. "I guess I'll have to tell her sooner or later. But at the moment it's rather complicated."

Buffy still looked fractious. "Well, I think you should tell her right now. I can't imagine any girl not wanting to be with you after you did all this stuff for her!"

A huge smile crept across Spike's face. "Really, luv? You really think so?"

"Absolutely," said Buffy firmly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me hope."

The moment was shattered as Cordelia butted in with "Well, it's been an exhausting hour. But if you don't mind, I'm going to the Bronze now to salvage what could still be a good evening. Coming, Xander?" her pointed look at her boyfriend told him that it wasn't exactly an option to say no.

"Sure, Cordy. Count me in. You coming Will?"

"Yep. Buffy?"

"Sounds like fun. Um, Spike, do you wanna come with us?"

Everyone did double takes. "Erm, do you really think that's the best idea, Buffy?" Giles ventured weakly.

Buffy glared at him. "He has a soul like Angel. He won't hurt us, will you Spike?"

"No, sir. Besides, I'm sure there's a long line up ready to stake me if I fall."

Giles sighed in defeat. "Fine. Have a good time."

"Thanks Giles!" Buffy said perkily, and grabbed Spike's arm. "C'mon, guys."

The five of them sat around their usual table in the Bronze, Coke in front of them.

"So, Spike, if you're a big bad vampire, how old are you actually?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Almost as old as your Peaches. He's my grandsire."

An expression of deep pain crossed Buffy's face, but was gone so quickly Spike wasn't sure if it was there at all.

"You okay pet?" he asked, concernedly.

She took a shuddering breath and said, "Yep."

"So, how does someone become a 'grandsire' as opposed to just a sire?" Xander asked.

"Well, he sired Drusilla, and Dru sired me. So, he sired my sire-like grandparents are the parents of your parent."

"R-ii-ght…" Xander was obviously having trouble grasping this concept.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Oh my god Xander, even I understood that. C'mon, let's dance."

She took him by the hand and led him to the crowded dance floor where they disappeared into the masses.

"Willow! Willow! Over here!" a voice called, and the remaining three turned their heads to see Oz wave to Willow from next to the bar.

"Hey!" Willow waved back happily. "See you guys later." She bounded off in his direction.

Spike and Buffy were left umming and ahh-ing back at the table, until the song changed to a mellow, slow one and Buffy broke the silence by offering her hand to Spike. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure." Spike grasped her hand and Buffy led to him to the dance floor, where he placed his hands on hips and she reached up to put her arms around his neck.

They swayed in time to the music for the entire song, not speaking at all because they were too busy feeling things.

When the music faded off into the wind, and a fast rock song started, Spike made to walk back to the table but Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Don't you wanna keep dancing with me?" she pouted.

"Of course I do, luv. Do you wanna keep dancing with me?"

"Definitely."

Spike couldn't remember feeling this happy before. The Slayer wanted him to stay! She _wanted _him to!

He and Buffy danced for a full four songs before she decided that she needed a drink. He followed her to the counter where she purchased a bottle of spring water, and then they sat together back at the usual table. Willow, Oz, Cordelia and Xander were all sitting there again, and Willow grinned knowingly, which Buffy returned.

But just as soon as she had sat down, Buffy's finely tuned Slayer antennae went right up. A guy walking past their table with his arm around a giggling woman wasn't quite right.

"Hey guys, vamp 6 o'clock. I'll be right back." Buffy felt for her concealed stake under her jacket, and rose from her seat.

Spike also rose from his seat. "Need backup?"

Buffy considered his suggestion for a second. "Yeah, OK. It's always good."

They both hurried out the back entrance and caught the vampire in halfway to the woman's neck.

"Hey you!" Buffy yelled.

"Do you always use witty distractions like that?" Spike asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Sometimes I pun."

Buffy rushed towards the vampire with her stake raised, but he knocked it out of her hands.

"Oh great," she muttered, before punching him in the face.

He staggered from the blow, and Buffy used his weak stance as an opportunity to send him crashing into the wall with a spinning kick.

She searched for another stake amongst her clothes, but she couldn't find one. Buffy swore loudly, and looked to the ground for her fallen one. Unfortunately the burly vampire had recovered from the kick by this point, and headed over to where Buffy was.

She looked up to find him leering in her face, and before she had time to react, his lips formed an o of surprise and he exploded into a cloud of dust.

A stake clattered to the ground, and Spike offered her a hand. She took it and he hauled her up.

"Thanks," she breathed, and before either of them knew it, they were locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. The one lucid thought that spiralled around Spike's head was _Huh. How's that for ironic_. They were standing in almost the exact same spot where, two years later Spike had tried to kiss Buffy for the first time and been brutally rejected. _Not this time, _he thought, _not this time._


	4. Chapter 4

The kiss lasted minutes, but Buffy broke her head back and whispered in a shocked voice: "Ohmigod. Ohmigod. I gotta go."

"Buffy? What's the matter luv?"

"I can't do this. I have to go." And with that she dashed back into the Bronze, grabbed Willow and came dashing back out again.

"Buffy!" Spike yelled after her, but she just vanished into the blackness.

"You twit!" he reprimanded himself. "Of course she's all broken up over bloody Peaches…why the bleeding hell does he get to all my women first!"

Buffy wrapped the covers more tightly around herself on the mattress at Willow's house.

"I still can't believe it did that, Will," she whispered.

"Awww, Buffy, it's ok! It's natural! Cause you having been getting the confrontation with Angel behind you, right?"

"I thought I had. But even the fact that he knew Angel, that they were friends, or whatever vampires call their twisted little grand kids, cuts me up. And like, what about this girl he's supposedly so hung up on? What's he doing kissing me if he went through all those trials just to impress her!"

"I dunno, Buff. But he really does like you, you know. And…I think that, just below the surface, you like him too."

"How could you possibly know that? Besides, I've only known him two weeks!"

"Witch, remember?" Willow replied, tapping her nose, "But anyway, how long did you know Angel before you kissed him?"

"Fair enough," Buffy admitted, "only a few weeks but still, this is different. I could never like Spike. Especially because of past stuff with Angel. Besides, he's so similar to Angel. They're both vampires with souls; they hung around together for a few hundred years, blah blah blah. It'd be like getting into the same relationship all over again!"

"Well, I don't think Spike could lose his soul the way Angel did," Willow ventured timidly, "seeing as he's half human and the method by which he acquired a soul in the first place."

"Whatever, Willow. Goodnight." Buffy flicked off the light, running out of comebacks.

"Ok then. Night Buff." Buffy might have thought she had Willow beat, but 'Red' had other plans. A spell she had seen recently in one of her witchcraft books would be perfect.

Willow waited patiently for the half an hour it took Buffy to fall asleep, and when she heard the deep breathing signifying slumber, she pulled back the covers and tip toed over to her chest of drawers. Pulling the second one open, Willow rummaged around until she found the ingredients she needed. Treading softly down the stairs, she stopped at the fireplace and opened the spellbook. Once Willow had arranged the ingredients, she began chanting the incantation.

"Tabula Rasa!" she finished with a grin, but then passed out straight on the floor.

Upstairs, Buffy awoke with a start, but fell right back down again. Sitting in the library studying a textbook, Giles collapsed and banged his head on the table. In the kitchen in his house eating Danishes, Xander dropped the pastry and buckled and fell on the floor.

The next morning, the four of them awoke slowly in their assorted places, rubbing their various injuries.

"What happened?" they all murmured, then sucked in their breath as a flood of memories rushed straight back into their heads.

"Oh my god. No way!" Buffy yelped, then grabbed the cordless phone and punched in Giles' number. He answered on the second ring, a note of panic evident in his voice.

"Buffy? Buffy! The strangest thing has happened! Last night I was studying an ancient volume in the library, and I must have passed out, and now my head is full of all these…memories!"

"I know, Giles, me too! And- ohmigod, where's Willow?"

"Willow's gone?" Giles cried in alarm.

"Wait, she might be downstairs, I'll check." Buffy ran down the steps, calling Willow's name.

Willow answered slowly, still in the crouching position in front of the fireplace. "I'm in here, Buffy," she called.

"Giles, it's ok, I've found Willow."

"Oh, thank goodness. What about Xander? Might he have been affected too?"

"I'll call him now. How about we all meet up in the library in half an hour?"

"Yes, alright. I'll see you then."

Buffy pressed the hang up button, and without delay dialled the Harris' home phone.

"Xander?"

He answered and immediately started babbling about strange images, almost like memories that had somehow appeared in his head overnight!

"Xander. It's ok. Giles and me have these weird vision things too. Wait- Willow says she does as well. So meet us at the library in half an hour, kay?"


	5. Chapter 5

30 minutes later, the four of them were gathered around in the Sunnydale High library, sharing stories and swapping the new 'memories'.

"Do you think any of these are actually true?" Willow asked sombrely. "Did I…do I actually kill someone?"

Giles shuddered. "You almost killed me!"

"I'm sorry! I don't think I meant too…"

"Wow. This is beyond weird. I mean, not only do we have all these creepy 'memory' things, but also we all seem a lot older…and these events are random. They don't seem to be following any kind of pattern. I'd say we're missing about 3 years worth of future memories, but why do we have these specific ones?" Xander puzzled.

"Giles? Planning on jumping in with an explanation any time soon?" Buffy asked.

"Erm…how about we go off and write down ALL the new memories you've acquired, we'll come back and compare them and then try to figure out what caused this."

"Alright."

"Okay."

"Good plan."

They all grabbed a notepad and pen and walked off to separate corners of the library, then sat scrawling, occasionally pausing to think or rest their hands. An hour later, Giles called, "Finished, everyone?"

"I think so. I think I got everything important down," Buffy replied.

"Yeah, me too." Willow agreed, and Xander nodded.

They walked over to the large table and placed their notes on the table.

"Ah, Willow, how about you read yours out first?" Giles suggested.

"OK. Well, what I think is the first new one is me and this girl lying on a bed, and I'm drawing all these symbols on her back…we're talking and I call her Tara. That memory is strange, it has a kind of dream like quality. The next one, as far as I can tell, is a bullet smashing through a window, into a room in Buffy's house, and it's hit Tara in the back," Willow quavered here for a moment, "see, I've never met this girl before but she must be a huge part of my life in the future or something, because seeing that tears me up so much I can hardly breathe. Next I see myself screaming at this shadowy face, and kind of…well…swallowing it? The rest after that are flashes. Me with black hair and veins, using magic to skin someone alive…me fighting Giles in some kind of magic shop…and the last one I remember is seeing Xander standing on the edge of a cliff, in front of this weird statue thing, like a demon, and then he walks over and holds me, and I cry till I would have emptied the Nile." Willow looked ashamed of her new recollections, as if she had already committed these crimes. Buffy leaned over and grasped her hand, patting it comfortingly.

"Um, Xander, how about you?" Giles asked hesitantly.

"OK. Mine are a bit strange. In fact, highly bizarre. But the first one is Spike strapped to a chair in my parent's basement, yes I did warn you these were weird, and then all of us, including a mental chick, a random woman I have never seen before but we talk and her name is Anya, a young teenager, and Spike are in this big camper van thing with all the blinds drawn and blacked out windows. After that, Buffy is in this hideous green dress and she's helping my with a tuxedo, we're talking about a…cummerbund. And then all I remember is a strong urge to kill Spike, and running around with a huge axe in my hands." Xander frowned at his own reminiscence and shrugged. "What about you, G-man? What new twisted-ness did your brain come up with?"

"Well, not much to tell you the truth. I remember being stabbed through the stomach with a large spear thing whilst driving a van, I suppose that one that you remembered as well, Xander, and two Willows, one a vampire and the other normal. I have a distinct recollection of a new English man here, who I don't like at all…and I buy a magic shop! I too have vague reminisce of a teenage girl, but no idea who she is or what she is doing with us. And Buffy, I recall you coming to me in great distress, because Spike admitted he loved you. Apparently this is a very disturbing development. The very last thing I can think of is we all sitting in my magic shop singing about theories, and what we can do if we're together. Odd."

"I guess that leaves me, huh."

"If you wouldn't mind, Buffy."

"Well, this will sound really disturbing, but the first new memory I have is of clawing my way out of my own grave."

Giles, Willow and Xander gasped, and Buffy nodded grimly. "I know. I don't even know how I know it's my grave, but I do and it's horrible. Then, a teenage girl in screaming and crying on top of a strange tower thing, me singing in front of this weird ugly red demon thing, some guy called Riley busting in on…" Buffy paused here. She didn't want to tell them about her memories of herself and Spike. "Busting in on…me staking a vampire. And the very last one is me and that girl again, in this deep pit killing these weird monster-y demon things."

The others stared at her pensively, as if they could somehow extract more memories by looking at her.

Feeling uncomfortable, Buffy turned away but spoke. "Do you think, seeing as Spike was in quite a few of our memories, that he might have got new ones too? Or maybe we should see if we can track down the teenager, this Tara chick you knew Willow, and who did you mention, Xander? Anya."

"Good idea. Do any of you have any means by which to contact Spike?" Giles asked.

"Nope."

"We could try the phone book."

"No we can't, Willow, we don't know his last name."

"Oh yeah. Well I'll do some magical hacking and see if I can find Tara and Anya. I think I'd be impossible to find the teenager coz we don't even have a name to go on." Willow said, and then headed over to the computer.

"Alright. I'll research with the books; see if I can find anything on sudden memory tampering. But I suppose we must remember that it is entirely possible that none of this will ever happen and is the result of some strange dreams or perhaps a spell." Giles announced.

Willow reddened suddenly. Could it be possible she had somehow done this with her Tabula Rasa spell last night?

"Will? You still in there?" Buffy poked her best friend on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Giles was asking if you had found anything yet."

"Oh…um no I only just started."

"OK. Well I'm going to work on finding Spike, and Xander's going on a doughnut run."

"Kay. See ya soon."

Buffy pushed open the large library doors and walked out, her boots making small clicking noises on the tiled floor as she went.

Out in the school gardens, she paused to think. _If I were an ex-vampire, where would I stay?_ Buffy made it to the cemetery in a few minutes, and looked at the vast expanse of crypts. Where to look first? But as she surveyed the graveyard, Buffy couldn't believe her luck as she saw Spike duck out one of the far away tomb doors and walk off hastily.

"Spike!" she shouted, "Hey, Spike!"

He turned, and it appeared for a minute that was going to run away, but he turned back and walked towards the blonde Slayer.

"Buffy?" he inquired politely.

She stumbled over her words, "Ah…um…well, I…"

A slow grin worked its way across his face at her discomfort. "Yes, pet?"

"Do you have any new random memories?" she blurted out.

His scarred eyebrow went up. "Can't say that I have, luv. Why? Have you?" Here he felt a small thrill of fear. He had progressed very well with Buffy so far, even f she had run away after they kissed. She was talking to him now, wasn't she? But if she had remembered- well, not really remembered, seeing as the events hadn't actually happened yet- but if she had known all of what was to happen between them in the future…

"Yes. And some of them involve you."

His fear cranked up another notch. "What? What was I doing?" he asked frantically. If he was lucky, maybe she would only have a few new recollections and they would involve him in heroic acts?

Buffy took a deep breath. It was time to be blunt. "We're kind of sleeping together."

Spike whitened. "What else do you remember…erm what else have you foreseen?"

Buffy looked at him curiously. "What do mean, remember?"

"All I meant was you were calling them memories so I guess, in some twisted, way, you remembered the future. Which hasn't happened yet."

"Right. Well, you're sure you didn't wake up with any new memories?"

"Positive."

And before he knew what had happened, Buffy grabbed him and was kissing him just as intensely as she had the night before at the Bronze. This time, however, a horrible thought occurred to Spike. Last time she had got into a 'relationship' with him, it had all been some kind of façade to convince herself she could feel. What if she was doing it again, but transferring her pain about Angel? As this occurred to him, he tore his lips away.

"Buffy," he said in a strangled voice, "are you just kissing me because of Angel?"

Buffy looked up at him in complete and utter shock. "Who told you about him?"

Spike gave himself another mental whack on the forehead.

"Um…I heard around the place that the Slayer killed him…and uh…I also heard that you two were involved. So, um…I thought you might be upset and…transferring your pain about that to passion with…um…me."

Buffy stared at him. "You seem to hear an awful lot 'around the place'. And I have a question for you. Where's this girl you were so in love with, the one you did all the stuff for? If you love her so much, why are you kissing me back?"

Spike gulped. How on earth was he going to get out of this one?


	6. Chapter 6

Buffy continued to gaze at him, and Spike sighed deeply. Time for some truth. 

"Buffy…the girl I love, the girl I became part human for…is you." 

Buffy jaw was practically scraping the ground, until she snapped it shut and said, "That's impossible. I only met you like week and a half ago."

"Well, that may be true for you, but it's different for me. Buffy, when I saw the demon in Africa, he didn't only make me part human. He sent me back in time."

Buffy continued to look stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Yeah, nice try Spike. Very funny."

Spike looked taken aback and wounded. "Buffy, I'm not joking."

Buffy looked into Spike's eyes and tried desperately to see the lie there. She couldn't. "Oh my god. Oh my god." She looked as if she was about to sink to the floor in shock. "So us sleeping together…that happens?"

Spike nodded, then snorted. "Yeah. Cause you do eventually get over Angel." As soon as the words left his mouth, Spike knew he'd said the wrong thing. Buffy's eyes filled with hurt, and she walked off. As Spike called her name, Buffy started to run, tears squirting from her eyes. 

Spike started to chase after her as she ran back towards the library, then thought the better of it. He would only say the wrong thing again.

"Peaches!" he screamed, slamming his fist into a nearby tree trunk, the shatter of bones almost satisfying to his ears. Almost. 

In front of the doors leading to the library, Buffy wiped her eyes. She didn't want Giles and Xander knowing she'd been crying, although she might share it with Willow later. Once she'd determined that her eyes were dry, Buffy pushed the doors open to see Willow excitedly rip a sheet from the printer. 

"I found Tara!" she shouted happily. 

Giles hurried over. "Who is she?" 

Willow read the bio aloud- a seventeen-year-old girl living with her father in some other state. She felt uneasy. She shouldn't be reading this at all- Willow now felt sure that her Tabula Rasa spell had something to do with all this weirdness. 

"Hmmm," Giles pondered, "seems relatively normal. Do you think we should contact her?"

"No!" 

Everyone looked at Willow strangely. 

"I mean, I don't think that would be a very good idea. I don't think we should interfere in what could be our futures."

Xander raised an eyebrow. "What harm could it do, Will?"

"What if we meet earlier than we were supposed to, and then she joins us in some life threatening situation and dies? The entire world will be different! It could really screw things up." 

"Yeah," Buffy piped in, "like in Back to the Future."

Giles scratched his head, stumped by the pop culture reference. "Um, I don't know what text you're referring to. But Willow, I suppose your theory could have some merit. Maybe we should leave these memories alone, and act as if they weren't there." 

"Yeah. I think that's a good idea. And I don't reckon we're going to find any more information about the memory tampering for the time being. If you guys don't mind, I think I might head home now." Willow slipped the fax into her pocket and walked out the door, to a chorus of 'bye'.

When she got home, Willow laid the fax onto the floor next to the pile of ingredients from last night's Tabula Rasa spell. Sprinkling some red sand over the top, Willow muttered an incantation and set the bundle alight. The phone number and Tara's photo curled at the edges, charred and then disintegrated into ash. At that moment, Buffy, Giles, Xander and Willow all collapsed onto the floor again. 


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up a moment later, Willow rubbed her head where she had hit it on the side of her fireplace.

"Ouch," she murmured, then stared questioningly at the pile of ash. It then became clear to her. "Forgetting spell," she muttered. But for what? It must have been something important, she realised, so no point in trying to remember. She picked up the phone and dialled the library, smiling slightly. She hadn't forgotten most of the day's events- they had been at the library, researching. What they were researching, she didn't know. The phone kept ringing- and then cut off with a beep. Willow took the phone away from her ear and frowned. It was a different phone to the one that had been lying next to her a few minutes ago. And why wasn't Giles answering the library phone? With an ominous feeling welling in her stomach, Willow decided to dial Buffy's house.

"Hello, Dawn Summers speaking!" A voice chirped.

Willow dropped the phone in shock, hearing the click signifying it had hung up. Dawn? Who on earth was Dawn, and why was she in Buffy's house? With shaking fingers, Willow dialled her last resort.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, Mrs Harris! It's you!" Willow cried in relief.

"Willow? Yes, of course it's me. I live here, don't I?" She gave a nervous chuckle.

Willow laughed lamely. "Ahaha…yeah. Um, can I please speak to Xander?"

"Xander? Willow, is this some kind of joke? You know Xander moved out months and months ago!"

Willow felt the phone slip from her fingers again. What was going on? Mrs Harris' voice emitted from the floor for a second, before she hung up.

Willow spun around in a circle. What on earth was going on?

"What did that spell do?" Willow shouted, remembering vaguely doing another spell recently that went wrong. "Damn witchy subconscious, making things go kerfloopey!"

She ran out of the house, and started walking down to Buffy's. It had just registered in her mind that the girl had said her name was Dawn _Summers_. She had to be some relation to Buffy. Willow started sprinting- this was too creepy. Her long red hair swished into her eyes and mouth, but she didn't care. She had to get to the bottom of this. Maybe Dawn was just Buffy's cousin, or something, and Mrs Harris was playing a joke. Willow stopped as she reached Revello Drive, and slowly walked up to Buffy's doorway.

Raising her hand hesitantly, Willow rapped on the door and stood back. She heard a yell of "I'll get it!" and thumps of footsteps coming closer.

The footsteps stopped, and the door swung open, revealing Buffy.

"Oh god, Buffy!" Willow launched herself at her best friend, wrapping her into a massive hug. "You will not believe how glad I am to see you!"

Buffy patted Willow nervously on the head and said, "You might be surprised. When did you leave the house, anyway? Oh my god, you got extensions! They look great!"

Willow raised her head and looked at Buffy, confused. A moment later, giggles could be heard from inside the house, and Willow and graceful blonde skipped into view, holding hands and whispering into each other's ears.

The Willow inside looked at the doorway, saw her seventeen-year-old self standing there, and passed out onto the ground.

The blonde knelt down, feeling for a pulse and talking. "Oh, Willow, Willow, are you ok?"

Buffy looked from the unconscious Willow, to the one standing in the doorway, and put her hand on her head. "Oh my god. Oh my god."

Willow felt much that way herself. She was looking at herself passed out on the ground, with some stranger tending to her as if they were best friends.

Buffy gulped. "You're not Willow, are you."

Willow shook her head. "No, Buffy I am! And what's with you? Why do you look so much…older?" Willow was struck by a thought. "Buffy, are you 17?"

Buffy looked at Willow. "No. Of course not! I'm 20…"

Willow took one look at the older version of her blonde best friend and passed out, joining her double on the ground.

"Oh, brother," Buffy groaned, dragging Willow inside. "Tara, what on earth is going on?"

"I d-don't know, Buffy," Tara stuttered, staring at one version of her girlfriend to the next. "Is that really Willow? She looks v-very different. Much yo-ounger."

Buffy stared at the younger Willow's face. "That's exactly what Willow looked like in our last year of high school." She gingerly picked up a framed photograph resting on a nearby table, and showed it to Tara. It was she, Xander, and Willow, all lying on top of each other on the lawn in front of Sunnydale High, grinning happily.

Tara opened her mouth to say something else, but at that moment, another Buffy, Xander, and Giles all came crashing through the door.

Younger Buffy, seeing herself, screamed. "Oh my god! What am I wearing?"

Buffy whacked her palm into her forehead. "What is going on?"

"Buffy? What's going on?" Dawn was thundering down the stairs, peering around anxiously. Then she saw the two Willows on the ground. "Oh my god!" she screamed, and then paused. "Wait a sec. Is this a Toth deal?"

Buffy shook her head. "I have no idea what is going on."

Younger Buffy tilted her head to one side, "Who are you?" she asked Dawn.

Dawn screwed up her face in confusion. "I'm your sister, you moron."

Younger Buffy snorted. "Haha. I don't have a sister," she stated.

Dawn stared at the pair of Buffys for a second, and then frowned. "Aren't you a bit younger?" She looked at the two. "Yeah. You're like 16 or something!"

"17!" Buffy defended.

Dawn surveyed Willow as well. "So is she! Oh my god, it's Buffy and Willow as 17 year olds!"

"Hey, don't forget me! Where's my counterpart?" Xander poked his head around the corner, and Dawn gasped, which gave way into a grin. "Oh, Anya is going to _love _this."

"Who's Anya?" Buffy, Xander and Giles asked, causing Dawn to jump again when she realised Giles was there.

"Oh, Buffy, what are we gonna do?"

It was then the two Willows woke up. Older Willow grabbed Tara. "Baby, what's going on?"

Tara rolled her eyes. "That's what we've all been wondering."

Younger Willow spoke. "Baby? Am I kinda gay?"

Older Buffy sat down on the couch, sighing heavily. "You guys have a lot to catch up on."

It was then the door crashed open yet again, and Spike barrelled through under a smoking blanket. He ran straight towards Buffy sitting on the couch, and yanked off the bedspread.

"Oh god, Buffy, I am so sorry. I'm such a moron; I never meant to hurt you. Please give me another chance, please. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on, I promise. I'm sorry." He then produced a slightly smushed box of chocolates and handed them to her. Older Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Spike, what are you ranting about?"

Before he had a chance to reply, yet another person barged into the house, under- a smouldering blanket.

Older Buffy rolled her eyes. "Great. Now this tragi-comedy can raise to new levels of hilarity."

Spike scrambled out of the sun, and then stopped dead when he spotted himself kneeling in front of Buffy.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

Younger Buffy poked the kneeling Spike in the back. "Um, Spike? Do you mean to talk to me?"

Spike swivelled around, and groaned. "Oh no! I'm back in this time again, and I somehow brought you guys with me!" He groaned again, taking in the sight of Willow, Xander and Giles standing next to Tara. Younger Buffy tapped him on the shoulder. "What do you mean, you're back here?"

Spike gazed around, and banged his head on the wall. "Bloody African underground demons!"


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N: I know it's kinda confusing to figure out which Buffy is which etc, so I'll refer to the people who travelled forwards in time as Younger (eg Younger Xander, Younger Giles, Younger Spike, even if he's not technically any younger. He's the Spike who the Younger Scoobs know.) So yeah. Thanks for all your reviews, they make my day!)

Older Buffy picked up the phone and dialled. "Xander? Get Anya. There's something you might want to see." She replaced the receiver, and then picked it up again, punching in more numbers.

"Hey Giles. You have to come right away. I don't care if the shop's open! Close early for the day. OK. Yep. See you in 10." She hung up.

"Shop?" Younger Giles asked, "do I own a shop now? We're in the future, I presume."

Older Willow nodded. "You own a magic shop since last year. Seeing as you had no job after we blew the high school up."

"What?!" the Younger Scoobs exclaimed, almost falling off their various seats.

"We do WHAT?!" Younger Buffy repeated.

"Well, it was kind of necessary to stop the Ascension," Older Buffy explained, "but I won't go into that now."

The Younger Scoobies didn't press it. They couldn't remember Willow's 'not meddling in the future' remark, but the main idea had stayed in their minds.

"Hey, Spike, you still didn't tell me what you meant by 'back here'. Oooh, is this the time you travelled from? Do you love that Buffy?" she pointed at the older version of herself, and Younger Spike cringed.

"Buffy! They didn't know about that! I haven't done it yet!" he hissed, causing Older Spike in the corner to look interested.

"What do I do, pet?" he asked Younger Buffy.

Younger Spike jumped in front of Buffy. "Don't tell him anything!"

"You twit," Older Spike said, "I'm YOU. We're the same person!"

Younger Spike looked thoughtful. "Oh yeah," was all he said.

Older Xander and Anya came into the room at that precise moment, and Xander spotted himself sitting in the corner.

"Hey, buddy! I knew you'd come back some time or another!" Older Xander walked over to Younger Xander and slapped him on the back. "Come to make my life better again? Give me a little confidence boost?"

Anya stared at the pair of Xanders greedily. "Ooh, this time can I take them both home?"

Younger Xander pointed at Anya. "Who the hell is that?" he then addressed Older Xander, "And what are you talking about?"

Older Xander looked confused. "Buffy, what's…" he trailed off as he spotted two different Buffy's. Then his eyes clouded. "Um…why is there high school aged copies of us?"

Anya looked disappointed. "High school?" Then she brightened. "Remember how much fun we had at the prom, Xander?" she said wistfully to younger Xander.

Younger Xander looked shocked.

"What?" Anya asked defensively.

"I get a date to the prom?" he replied incredulously.

Older Giles walked through the door, and took in the sight of all the younger Scoobs. "Oh my."

"Hey, Giles. Take a seat. Meet our younger selves."

Everyone talked for a while, discussing the weirdness. Eventually Younger Xander asked the question that had been on everyone's minds: "How did we get here?"

Younger Willow raised her hand, looking guilty. "Um, I think I might have an answer for that. When I woke up in this time, there was a pile of spell ingredients on the floor. I think one of the spells I cast must have gone wrong."

Older Willow and Tara shared a significant look, which Younger Willow noted with interest.

"Well, if that's the case, how can we get back to our own time?" Giles pondered, "I for one definitely do not want to be stuck here for too long."

"I don't know," Younger Willow replied uncomfortably, "I have no idea how to reverse the spell, because I can't even remember what spell I was doing." Younger Willow then looked hopefully towards her older self. "Willow- erm, other Willow, maybe you can help? I must have gotten better at magic by now."

Older Willow's cheeks were tinged with pink. "I'm trying to cut way back on magic right now." Tara patted her arm comfortingly.

Younger Willow looked confused, but decided not to inquire. "Um, alright. Giles- older Giles, maybe you have some supplies that can help at your magic shop?"

Older Giles ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it more than usual. "I suppose I may. Let's all head over there then."

Both Spikes held up their blankets indignantly. "Hello, sunlight," Older Spike pointed out.

Older Buffy rolled her eyes. "Fine. Stay here. And don't touch ANYTHING."

"Fine, luv," the two Spikes chorused, and plonked down on the couch.

The Younger and Older Scoobs all walked out the door, Buffys leading the way.

They all walked along the street to the Magic Box, Older Buffy hissing to the Younger Scoobs- "OK, guys- if anyone asks, the Xanders are brothers, the Willows are cousins, Giles' can be brothers too, and me and…me can be sisters. Alright?"

Everyone nodded, and Giles pushed open the door to the Magic Box, setting off the tingling bell.

"Wow," Younger Willow breathed as she took in the sight of all the ingredients and various magical paraphernalia. "This is amazing, Giles!"

"Why thank you," both the Giles answered proudly, then looked at each other.

Anya stepped behind the counter and flicked the register open, counting all the cash.

"Buffy, can you go get some of the books from my personal collection, up the stairs?" Older Giles asked, and then scribbled some names down on a piece of paper, "here. Take these ones. Young Buffy, you go too."

"Ok." The pair of Buffys walked up the small ladder and sat on the rough, sandy floor, scanning the dusty volumes for names on the list.

"Hey," Younger Buffy ventured to her older counterpart, "are you still wanting Angel?"

Older Buffy turned, and snorted. "Not hardly. I mean, he'll always be my-our- first love, and I do miss him sometimes, but do I think about it all the time? Nah. Not really."

Younger Buffy looked hopeful. "Really? So it wouldn't be bad if I…liked someone else?"

Older Buffy looked interested. "Who do you like? I don't remember liking anyone in senior year."

Younger Buffy came across self-conscious. "Um…it's kinda embarrassing. You do know him now though."

Older Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh my god. Oh my god. You like Spike."

"Ssssh!" Younger Buffy hissed, "Everyone could hear you!"

"God. That is so…just like me. Anyway, how do you know Spike? I only met him in my first year of college, and he was a killer. A ruthless vampire. Well, until the government chipped him."

"They WHAT him?" younger Buffy screeched, forgetting her quiet warning of before.

"Ssssh!" Older Buffy shushed. "Don't worry about it."

"Uh! How can I not worry?"

"You'll get there eventually. But hey, so over Angel."

"OK. I gotta go." Younger Buffy said, dropping the book she'd pulled off the shelf.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Older Buffy demanded.

"Home." With that, Younger Buffy flounced down the ladder and out the Magic Box door.


	9. Chapter 9 & Epilouge

Back at Revello Drive, the two Spikes were sitting down and having a discussion on tactics to win over Buffy. Older Spike was busy congratulating Younger Spike about the genius plan to go to Africa, when Younger Buffy burst through the door.

"That's it. I'm over Angel. I can't keep living in the past, and it's taken me being sent to the future to figure it out, but I know now. I will always miss Angel, but it's you that I want Spike. Always." Younger Buffy grabbed the nearest Spike and kissed him just as fiercely as she had the first time, but now Spike could taste the love and not just the lust.

When the pair opened their eyes and looked around the room, other Spike was gone.

"Huh?" said Buffy, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Buffy?" Joyce walked down the carpeted steps to the living room and stopped short when she saw Spike. "Buffy, who's this?"

Buffy just looked at her mother, her eyes wide. "Um…Sp-William's a friend from school. He's helping me study for History."

Joyce nodded, not quite buying it. "When did you get home from the library? I didn't hear you come in."

"Just then! William and I were at the library with Giles, Willow and Xander- you know, study party!" Buffy fibbed, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"OK. Well, if you need anything, let me know." Joyce drifted off to the kitchen, throwing a glance over her shoulder as she went.

"Phew," Buffy breathed a sigh of relief, "that was extremely close. So, any idea what's going on?"

Spike looked around. "I think…I think we're back in the right time."

Buffy ran up the stairs to her room, taking in all the photos on the wall and the cheerleading outfit hanging on the back of her door. "Yeah," she said, mystified, "I think we are."

Walking over to her desk, Buffy picked up all the textbooks and magazines that were resting there. All the same as they were before. The calendar on the wall read the same date as it had before they'd been pulled into the future, and when Buffy turned her gaze to her digital clock, she almost fell over in amazement.

"Oh my god, Spike," she said without turning around, "according to this clock, we were only gone from this time for like five minutes!"

"Buffy!" Spike's voice sounded strangled from behind her.

Spinning around quickly, Buffy saw Spike fading away, his form becoming more transparent by the second.

"Spike!" Buffy cried, horrified, "what's going on?"

"I think my purpose in this time has been served," Spike said with a small smile, "the demon said I would be sent back when my purpose had been fulfilled."

"No!" Buffy bawled, "Your purpose has only just started! When will I see you again?"

"I think I'll see you again when I was supposed to- next year, when you start college."

"Will you still be half human?"

"I think so. It's not something that can easily be reversed." Spike was almost gone now, a small shimmer in the air.

Buffy tears started to dry up as she realised Spike wasn't leaving forever, but sniffled as she whispered goodbye.

"Goodbye, Buffy. See you next year." Spike grinned sadly, and then vanished completely.

Buffy gave a small, gloomy smile to herself. Next year was so long away. What was the point of dragging Spike out of her life once he had become an actual part of it? "Stupid demons," she muttered.

As she spoke, Buffy heard a banging on the front door. She opened it and saw Giles, Willow and Xander grouped together on the front step.

"Hey guys," she greeted them glumly.

"Hey, Buff! What's the matter?" Willow asked gently.

"Spike's gone. He's gone back to his own time."

Willow stepped over the threshold and gave Buffy a big hug. "Why?"

"Because his 'purpose has been fulfilled'. I won't see him till next year."

"Better than never, though, right?" Xander interposed, helpfully for once.

Buffy nodded. "I'm sure I'll feel better about it soon. It was just so random, though."

Giles walked through the doorway to join the huddle in the hall. "I'm sorry to bring even worse news Buffy, but I've just heard word of what the Ascension is."

**1 year later…**

Buffy gripped Spike's hand as they wandered through UC Sunnydale's library.

"Oh, Spike, here's that book you need for Advanced History," Buffy whispered, and grabbed at the book on it's high shelf, accidentally knocking it onto a young man's head.

"Oh! Sorry!" Buffy apologized, embarrassed.

The young man stood up, and rubbed his head. "No problem."

Buffy looked concerned. "Oh god, I'm really sorry! Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...?"

"Buffy," Buffy answered, still looking for Spike, wondering where he had wandered off.

"I'm Riley," he said, extending his hand.

"Hey Riley. Um, I gotta go, sorry. Bye." Buffy walked off clutching the book, instantly forgetting all about the Riley incident as she spotted Spike waiting for her at the Maths aisle.

They strolled out onto the warm, sunny grounds together, joining Willow and Tara lying under a massive oak tree spreading over grass.

"Hey," Buffy said, plonking down onto the grass, soon joined by Spike.

"Hi," Willow replied, then laughed. "Anya's been giving Xander trouble again."

Buffy laughed too- she couldn't think of any reason not to laugh. She was with her gorgeous boyfriend, one of her best friends, and it was a beautiful sun-drenched day.

"Why were you talking to Captain Cardboard in the library?" Spike asked Buffy.

"Who? Oh that random guy, Riley. I just dropped a book on his head so I apologized."

"Haha. Yeah, he's the teacher's aid in my history class, and I swear, there is no more boring, ordinary guy on campus."

"Yeah, he was pretty dull."

There was a short growling noise, and Willow giggled. "Tara, was that your stomach?"

Tara blushed and nodded.

"Come on then, let's go get some lunch." Willow suggested, helping pull everyone to his or her feet.

The four of them then walked off to the cafeteria, each couple holding hands with a cheerful smile on their face.

**THE END. **

(A/N: So, what'd you think? As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Hopeful the ending isn't too cheesy or anything. I just wanted to show that Buffy and Spike are happily together at UC Sunnydale, and every other Scooby gang member is happy too. I've got a new Spuffy fic in the works, so look out for that too lol. Thanks!)


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